Tendons
by Arrington Blake
Summary: These started out as un related one shots that became related one shots. OR the one where Felicity's ex boyfriend keeps popping up, Felicity and Oliver can't see what's right in front of them, but everyone else does.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello all! This story is cross posted from A03. It started out as a set of unrelated one-shots and turned into like a 4 to 5 point story arch. I hope you enjoy! I love questions and comments, please let me know what you think! Thanks. Oh and as always (disclaimer) they aren't my creative property.

Summary: Or the one where Oliver and Felicity can't see what's right in front of them. Roy is the smartest in the room.

* * *

Roy honestly hadn't known that they weren't together.

It was his second day of "hood training," as Blondie called it, but it was his first day arriving to the 'layer' on his own. After following Oliver's painstaking directions so that he wasn't detected, he slid in the alley way entrance. Having to jump over a dumpster to get to the concealed door in the brick wall behind it, seemed a little excessive to Roy. But whatever.

"Perfect timing," Felicity called, from what Roy had already gathered was her favorite if not her permanent spot; rolling back and forth in her black computer chair, as he came down the metal steps. Her signature blonde ponytail was swaying as she tipped her head back over the chair back, to talk to him, "Oliver was just going on a Big Belly run. He can show you the ropes."

"Show me the ropes?" Roy asked wryly, coming around to stand near her desk, hands shoved in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Yup," She said with a smack of bright pink lips, barely looking his way, "Don't mock. Food is a big deal."

"What do I look like some executive assistant?" Roy quipped.

Digg huffed from somewhere behind him, "I'd watch your step."

Felicity barely batted an eyelash, refusing to miss a beat. "Pick your battles," she muttered to herself under her breath.

And then aloud to Roy, she said, "Consider it initiation." After a moment, she added, "I mean I assume this is what 'initiation'-" she said with a comically deep inflection to her voice, "-is like. I only have like The Skulls to go off of. I was never like a soritory girl. I'm sure that's some big surprise." she said sarcastically, "Not that smart girls can't be in soritories. It's just that-"

"It wasn't your thing." Oliver completed, walking to them from the mats. He wore a dark shirt and jeans, a stark contrast from his green leathers.

Felicity nodded at him gratefully.

Roy wondered if translating her babble was a learned trait or if it was one Oliver innately had. Roy had learned to keep up with Thea, sure, but he also felt like that Thea had innately been able to understand him.

"SO. Food?" She hinted, "Now."

The command had a little bit of edge to it. Roy blinked, surprised.

"Yup." Oliver smiled, seemingly not phased that Blondie had given him an order. Roy couldn't imagine talking to Oliver quite like that. Seriously. The man could kill people.

"Orders." Felicity held out a white cocktail napkin with a rather long food list scribbled out on it in pen.

Oliver grabbed it and the coat she handed him before they headed out.

Roy expected them to take one of Oliver's much too expensive cars, the man was always, always ranting and yelling about 'covers', how they needed to be the opposite of who they really were. Even after only 48 hours, Roy was exhausted from the amount of conversation that veered to 'its to keep the cover,' or 'You. Must. Keep. Your. Cover.', in what Blondie had called his 'growly voice'. The line between keeping someone safe and just being dishonest was fine, the difference between lying and deception was finer. Roy wasn't sure how he really felt about any of it. But he did know he didn't like lying to Thea.

But. Instead of taking the car, they walked, mostly in silence, down the back alleys that lead to the restaurant. Roy figured it would be awkward, imposing the way Oliver seemed to use fewer words than even The Arrow, but he found that he liked it, that it was easy. No one was talking out of their ass, or lying, of filling up empty space. They only said what was needed. It took away some of the tension, the stress that Roy wouldn't admit had made itself known when the Hood had invited him to join the…team?

Oliver looked out of place in the white and black checked space, but he was also welcome. The woman who he assumed managed the restaurant sent them a half smile before going back to taking patrons orders and a young brunette girl behind the counter, rushed out and waved at them.

" ," she called, "You're late." She said tapping the face of her charm bracelett turned watch with a teasing smile. Roy could pick out a milkshake and a red and yellow heart, maybe a ballet slipper.

To Roy's surprise Oliver smiled, wide. Roy could see his body shift as he put this mask on. It was something between the play boy he pretended to be, the Oliver of before and the intelligent CEO. It was almost genuine.

"I know, I know," Oliver chuckled, tossing his head back a little, "'Lissy is getting feisty."

The waitress, woes name-tag, Roy noticed said Mandy, laughed and placed her hands on the counter, showing off bright red nails, "I bet. Well, tell me what you got. The usual?"

"Uhh," Oliver strode up to the counter, "I think. Mostly. It looks like she may have added a thing or two-" he cut off patting his pocket and then checking his phone. "Here, theres the list." He handed Roy the now crumpled cocktail napkin, "I'm sorry Mandy, I have to take this."

She nodded casually, a bob of her high brown ponytail, "I'm sure the newbie can help me out. Go. No rest for the wicked."

Oliver winked as he took a few steps away. Roy couldn't help but notice that for all her flippant, casual, confidence, Mandy looked a little flustered. Really. What was it with that guy. He was rich yeah…but if Mandy only knew how rare the charm actually was…

"So. What's on the list?" Mandy prompted, pulling Roy from his thoughts.

Roy looked down at it, squinting to try to make out Felicity's chicken scratch. The woman really isn't EA material. Roy thought, not for the first time.

"Uhh. It looks like, a double Big Belly Burger with cheese no mayo and chili cheese fries, a large Sprite. I think," Roy said haltingly as he rattled off the first line.

Mandy grinned, "Sounds like John's order. All right." She scribbled across a white ticket, with large, swooping handwritting.

Roy wondered just how often and how well they were known here, for a waitress to call the ever imposing , John, especially while Oliver was still ' '.

"Alright what's next?"

"Big Belly Burger plain with…"Roy guessed at the word, "barbeque sauce? House fries. Ice water."

"And that's Mr. Queen's. Sometimes she adds a side of the vegetable soup?" Mandy asked.

Roy looked down the list. "Yup there it is. A side of the 'house'? soup."

"That's the vegetable." Mandy copied down the next order.

"I want a Big Belly Burger with cheese. And fries." Roy said easily.

"And to drink?"

"Coke."

"Alrighhht," Mandy drawled out as she finished the ticket, "and Felicity?"

"Looks like Big Belly Burger, plain, with catsup. Large coke, no ice. Cookies and…something milk shake?" Roy said.

"Cream." Mandy added helpfully, "Sometimes Mr. Queen adds on the bacon and cheese fries for her?" Many asked.

Roy shrugged, and looked over his shoulder to where Oliver still stood talking on the phone. "Oliver." He shouted, catching the man's glare, "Does your girlfriend want bacon and cheese fries?"

If there was anything Roy wasn't prepared for it was the look on Oliver's face, the heat in his eyes that faded to a hardand un-forgiving blackness, the way his jaw ticked like he needed to hit someone, and the sadness to his mouth. It looked like grief.

"She's not my girlfriend." He said gruffly and then, "Felicity is not my girlfriend," like the distinction needed to be made.

Roy raised an eyebrow in conjecture, but Oliver's face just became graver. He decided to let it drop. "Okay. Does Blondie want bacon and cheese fries?"

Oliver's jaw was so tightly clenched it barely moved as he spoke, "'Lissy wants bacon fries, she doesn't like cheese. Add that chili powder…stuff?" He asked over Roy's head to Mandy.

Mandy just smiled, sent him a nod and added the order to the list before she trotted away to hand it off to what, Roy assumed was the kitchen.

"Did they break up?" Roy asked, nocking his head back towards Oliver.

Surprise flitted over Mandy's face, her blue eyes going wide, "I didn't think they were together. Like ever. But I don't know them personally. She's come in here with other people. A cutie from Central City. One of the girls from the night shift, swears she saw her come in with Lex Luthor...but here, from Metropolis, as cute as Felicity is that's a long way to come for a burger."

"Oh." Roy said dumbly, "hmm."

An awkward silence started to come over them, made worst when Mandy said, "so the order's in. It will just take a second," and then rocked back on her heels.

Roy nodded, "great."

It was only ten minutes before Mandy started bringing out their food, stacking the take out boxes before putting them into brown paper bags with the Big Belly logo printed across the front, and putting the drinks in a cardboard drink tray. It was when she was adding a last small box to the top that Oliver finished his phone call and walked over, pulling out three folded twenty dollar bills and handing them over.

"Mr. Queen…" Mandy started, stubbornly. It sounded to Roy like a start to an argument they had had many times before.

"No argument, Mandy." Oliver said, forcing the bills into her hand, "Your business classes still going well?"

She smiled, with what Roy thought was a subtle shyness, "Yes."

"Then you know the rules."

She chuckled, "Alright Mr. Queen. Thank you."

Oliver nodded, "You bet."

They were headed to the door arms full with bags of food and drinks when the woman Roy thought owned the place called out, "wait."

Oliver didn't look a bit surprised as she rushed towards them holding out a dessert box. "Apple pie." She said shortly as she placed it on the top of the bag. "For John."

Oliver nodded sharply, "I'll make sure he gets it."

The woman nodded and then walked off.

Roy waited until they were out of the restaurant, trudging back towards the foundry before he asked, "What was that about?"

Oliver sighed and shifted his shoulders in a way that made it look like he was uncomfortable, "She was married to John's brother who passed away. She and John dated. It ended out of necessity. It's complicated."

Oliver walked on as if he wanted silence to overcome them but Roy couldn't help it. Thea was rubbing off on him. "And you and Felicity."

Oliver growled. Literally. "Keep out of…away from her." He said as if changed what he was going to say half way through the sentence.

"Okay."

They made the rest of the trek in silence.

When they maneuvered their way back into the layer, it seemed that Felicity's hunger was forgotten. Instead she was pacing in front of her desk, ringing her hands and babbling in a steady stream of mumbled nonsense no one could understand.

It was Diggle who filled him in, "Barry just woke up. There's some 'weirdness'. He's asking for Felicity." He said to Oliver.

Oliver nodded. Placing the bag of food on the desk and beginning the task of sorting it out by person.

"She's afraid you won't appreciate her going."

Oliver's head poped up almost comically quickly as he glared at Diggle. "I know." And then after a moment, "That's why I'm going to take her."

"Oliver," Diggle stressed, "do you really think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

Diggle gave him a look which to Roy clearly communicated, 'why not.'

"She can take the jet."

Roy's eyeballs went wide. Diggle shook his head with a low chuckle. "Right because that's going to go over well with Isobel."

Oliver growled again, "One of the drivers can take her."

Diggle nodded, "I think she would appreciate that." It sounded to Roy, like Diggle was giving him permission, a pat on the back. Oliver didn't seem like the kind of guy that needed permission. "She likes Jeremy."

Oliver pulled out his phone swiftly but Diggle forced a hand on his shoulder, "I would talk to her about it first." He warned.

Oliver growled again and forced his shoulders back. For a guy who was big on controlling anger, his frustration certainly made his spine so tight Roy thought it may break.

He approached Felicity slowly, stepping into her line of pacing and putting his hands on her shoulders to still her.

She started in on a babel but Oliver shushed her, rubbing her shoulders as he said, "I know. I know. And it's okay. He needs you there. I'm going to have Jeremy take you."

"Oliver-" she started in what Roy could already tell was her frustrated voice.

Diggle chuckled behind Roy. "Not quite asking," he said, "but he's getting better."

Roy shrugged at the commentary with a smirk. It had been worst?

"Let me do this for you." Oliver said. And then after Felicity mumbled something Roy couldn't make out he pulled her into his chest, resting his chin on top of her head, "I promise."

He felt like he was intruding on something intimate. He turned away but the moment was already over. Felicity was running around in a flurry, logging off computers and loading up, he didn't even know how many electronics into a purse that must weight a ton.

"I'll drive you to your apartment," Oliver said, handing her a Big Belly Burger bag.

Roy belatedly realized that Oliver had removed everyone else's food and left Felicity's in the bag.

"… I promise if you need me, I'm just a phone call or a text or even an email away…"

She rambled as they walked up the steps, Oliver's hand resting low on her back.

"Not a thing my ass." Roy grumbled to Diggles loud laugh.

"They're both blind." Diggle offered.

Diggle then picked up his food pausing on the top box. When Roy said, "someone at Big-"

Diggle interrupted with, "I know. Thanks."

"Hm. Didn't know blindness was contagious."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I hope you enjoy. I can't wait to hear from everyone. (Disclaimer) they aren't mine.

Summary: The one where Felicity is injured, Secret identities come into play, Oliver doesn't like Felicity's ex, and Sarah is the wisest one in the room.

* * *

"They won't tell me anything." Oliver growled, rubbing a hand roughly over his jaw, while he leaned against the stark, white wall of the Starling City Hospital. He rested all of his weight back on his heels, using the wall to keep his balance, "I'm not 'family'. What does that even mean." He spat.

Sarah knew what he meant. If her time abroad, had taught her anything it was that family wasn't only - was much more - than blood. Over the past four months Oliver, Diggle, Felicity and even Roy had become her family much more than Laurel was. To be told now that that kind of bond didn't matter…well, his frustration was clear in his growl, and the hard set of his spine and it bellied Sarah's own feelings.

Sarah peered down the hall, from beneath her baseball hat, at the sound of footsteps. The world knew she was alive, sure. But the world didn't know she knew Felicity, and with the connections growing, Oliver had pushed her to keep their lives separate. So she had donned her an old Starling City Rockets hat and tucked her blonde hair up inside of it, kept it low on her forehead. If anyone asked she had been there delivering food to the nurses and gotten lost.

Then again, he was here as Oliver Queen CEO and philanderer, and it didn't make much sense for him to be desperate to see his pretty, blonde employee, who he went everywhere with.

اختيار معارك الخاص. Pick your battles. It was a phrase Nyssa had often muttered under her breath.

Ironic, as they, The League, was ready for any battle. Being a part of The League didn't mean they were the best at making connections, forming relationships. Sarah always assumed that's why Nyssa used it so often off the battle field. Nyssa's relationship with her father had never been a great one either.

"You expecting company?" Sarah asked towards the ground, but to Oliver, when she spotted a guy rushing down the hallway like a tornado.

Oliver's spine straightened against the wall as he rolled down from his heels.

"Barry." It wasn't a question.

"Where? How? Is she okay? Sorry, I'm late I just the call from Mr. Diggle like an hour ago, -" Barry rambled, all but running down the hall, a duffle slung over his shoulder.

He wore dark jeans, a button up, and Chuck Taylors. He was cute, Sarah noticed, in a way that especially made sense with Felicity. Sara hadn't met him before.

"Not at all. Diggle's with his nephew. It was an emergency," and then after Barry's nod, Oliver said dryly, "From Central City? That's a fast train."

It was clear, in that moment, that Barry wasn't like the rest of them. The lie was flitting across his face even as he was trying to come up with it.

Well, he wasn't like her. Sarah had seen Oliver try to lie, he failed at it more now, than he had before he really needed to.

"I was in Sacramento. A case." And then with a nod towards his feet, "A real one. Feel free to call my captain."

Oliver just shrugged. "I protect my-" he didn't finish the sentence, but Sarah didn't think he had to. They all seemed to know what he meant. Family. "The doctors won't tell me anything because I'm not family." Oliver offered after a moment, "and being here-"

"As her CEO is tricky enough. Right." Barry's voice dropped to a whisper. "Is that why her sister's here?" He said, more loudly, uncertainly. Confused.

"Sister?" Oliver questioned.

Sarah looked up with a grin, "I'm flattered. And also just a friend."

Barry nodded, explaining his confusion, "I didn't think she had any family."

Oliver rolled his shoulder's back, "Her mom. But I can't get a hold of her."

Sarah immediately recognized it as two men in love with the same woman trying to one up each other, but as if they didn't see it…whatever.

"Have you tried, Lex? I'm sure he could pull some strings." Barry said with what Sarah placed as a hint of venom in his voice. It didn't match his genuine, soft appearance.

"Lex?" Oliver asked confused.

"Luthor." Barry and Sarah confirmed at once.

When Oliver's head swiveled towards her, Sarah added, "-her old boyfriend. Dated him right out of college? He tried to get a hold of her a few weeks ago."

"Lex Luthor."

"Yeah. He recruited her for Luthor Corp the same time QC was recruiting her. And MIT. Everyone was recruiting her. It-" Barry explained.

"Lex Luthor and I went to boarding school together." Oliver said, casting a heavy glance towards Sarah. "He, his dad, and my dad made some deals, a while back."

It was written on Oliver's face as clear as day. Lex Luthor was on the list. He may not be only marking off names anymore, but that didn't dampen the meaning. Lex Luthor was corrupt enough to have been involved with Robert, to be on the list, and he had dated Felicity.

"So no one's called, then." Barry guessed.

"No." Oliver said flatly. But it sounded like why didn't I know.

"Speak of the devil?" Sarah questioned lowly, when she spotted a man at the end or the long corridor.

She had never seen Lex, but Felicity had described him, as 'tall, sleek, hot, and bald. You know the type of guy that runs a fortune five hundred company and is like still super loyal to-' And the tall, bald, man in a black Italian cut suit striding towards them like he owned the place, definitely fit the bill.

"Yeah that's him." Oliver growled, then turned on Barry, "Did you call him?"

"What? No. I don't even have his number…not that I would have if I did…I'm right beside you man…I mean Mr. Queen..." Barry rambled.

Dig had once described him as 'Felicity' and now that she had met him, it was the most accurate description she had ever heard. It made sense that they were interested in each other. Birds flock together. Which now that she came to think of it, was the full evidence to support her theory, when she was much younger, that Laurel and Oliver would never work.

"If I was going to guess," Sarah said, "I'd say he's her emergency contact." At Oliver's eyebrow raise she added, "they dated for over a year. She doesn't have family around here. From what I understand he was making the commute. It would only make sense."

Regardless, Lex was raising hell. Intentionally or not. Three nurses had run from behind the desk holding files, but from what Sarah could over hear, Lex was not interested, instead demanding to speak to a surgeon, '-or did he need to have one flown in.' And then as he waved down the hall, "Oliver?"

Oliver turned, dusting invisible lint off his suit jacket and waving a hand. "Lex. What are you doing so far from Metropolis?"

"A… friend," he said suggestively, "of mine was admitted here. No one can tell me what happened or how she's doing."

Sarah didn't like, Lex, persay, didn't trust him. But pain was clear on his face, like someone he loved was in trouble, making whatever he felt for Felicity seem legitimate.

"Felicity Smoak, per chance?" Oliver asked easily.

Lex smirked, "Yes. You're here as her boss then. I wasn't sure if you had ended up taking the Queen Consolidated banner or if Ms. Rochev had beat you to it."

"We're partners. But I'm acting CEO. Felicity is my EA." Oliver corrected smoothly

At that Lex looked genuinely surprised. "EA? I didn't realize she had left her job in IT. Ritz never struck me as one who wanted to…fetch coffee."

Sarah watched as Oliver squared his shoulders, squashed the urge to protect her even at the risk of giving them up.

"Ritz?" He chose instead.

A smile graced Lex's face, "Yes. An old nickname." Then, "Do you know what happened?"

Oliver nodded, "A subway accident apparently, a couple of gang bangers shoved her down some stairs, threw her around a little bit. They called the last person she had dialed when they couldn't get a hold of any family, her emergency contact. They won't tell me anything now."

Lex ducked his head, "Her mother isn't very attentive. I was in a closed door meeting , my EA didn't quite know what to do with the call." He shook his head on a chuckle, "Felicity helped pick her, but honestly some days I swear she doesn't know up from down. It doesn't surprise me Ritz always sees the best in people."

"I didn't realize you two were close." Oliver said with what Sarah assumed was supposed to be disinterest. It fell flat.

"Luthor Corp was recruiting her actually, right when she graduated MIT. But it was pointless. She'd gone to school on a Queen Consolidated scholarship, already interned with the IT department," It didn't escape Sarah's notice that Lex seemed to go out of his way to avoid saying 'your', "We offered to buy her out of the scholarship commitment, but she was to honest for that," he chuckled, plucking at his pockets, " We started seeing each other soon after. It ended over a year ago but Felicity was never good with remembering to take care of herself. Have her oil changed, keep updated emergency records... I'm sure my number is only on file because I made her put it down when I carted her hear after the skiing incident of 2011." He laughed, "always looking out for others. And never herself."

Oliver chuckled, dryly, "She's a hard worker."

"Well," Lex started, "Do you have a card? You can get back to work, I'll let you know if there are any updates. Make sure she knows you stopped by."

Sarah watched as Oliver forced himself to shrug. "Here," he offered, pulling out a card.

Barry opted to stay, resting stubbornly against the wall. Sarah followed Oliver out with no questions asked.

* * *

"You can stop growling," Sarah advised from her spot at the bottom of the salmon latter. She tugged a loose, long sleeved shirt over her head before staring Oliver down, "The rest of us are worried too. It's a bad situation all the way around. You aren't the only one that cares for her."

Sarah watched as Oliver's spine straightened, his shoulders growing impossibly more tight.

"Today certainly made that obvious," he mumbled under his breath.

Sarah rolled her eyes. So that was what this was about. Go figure. She thought, sarcastically.

"Just because she dated Lex," Sarah paused when Oliver winced. really?! " , doesn't mean that she was involved with anything that would've put him on the list. It doesn't mean that she even knew."

"How did you know?" He asked, pointedly.

He was on the opposite end of the room from her, but Sarah felt his tension seep into her bones, like he was right beside her. He was meticulously re-fitting arrows, notching new ones, and lining them up in the fabulous display that she knew Felicity had designed.

"Late night. Two glasses of wine." She said, but Oliver didn't take the bait, didn't even crack a smile. He may be obtuse and difficult, but Sarah still hurt for him, understood where his mind was at. Going through the island and the torture that he did, didn't leave him unscathed. He may act like it made him a better person and in many ways it did, but Sarah could see the places that didn't get put back together right. His emotional center was one of them.

"She was feeling lonely. We were watching a movie. He called her. I used my interrogation techniques and got it out of her." She stopped when Oliver raised a brow, "Ollie," she chided, "you aren't that obtuse. I asked her." she placed, delicate emphasis on the word, "and she answered. She talks a lot. It shouldn't be a surprise."

Oliver sat in silence for a moment. Sarah felt it fall heavily over the room.

Then Oliver asked, "How did they meet?"

Sarah sighed, audibly. "Like he said actually. He was recruiting her for a job. She took one at QC. He called her for a date soon after. They were living in two separate cities, but he made an effort to see her as often as possible. Commuted. When it started to get really serious, she got a bad feeling, like things weren't adding up and she broke it off. From what I understand, he'd give it another shot, if she'd let him."

Oliver barely moved a muscle. He looked almost like a statue, Sarah thought, unmovable, but she knew it was just a stark exterior. His emotions were ciaos.

"Barry only knew because Lex paid to have a few specialist flown in to handle his case. From what Felicity has told me anyway. She said it was just easier to let him help. And I believe her, Lex isn't the type of guy that steps back from grandiose displays of-" Sarah broke off when an arrow broke in Oliver's hand with a sharp crack.

Sarah almost laughed, choosing instead to roll her shoulders back and gather her things. "It's obvious that you need to talk to her," she started as she made her way to the side entrance, ", about a lot of things." And then, pausing at the door, and throwing her voice over her shoulder she added, "And Oliver? A lot of people love a girl like Felicity Smoak. She isn't going to wait around." until you get your damn emotional shit together Sarah thought, but she had already put Oliver through the ringer tonight. She figured she'd give a rest.

Oliver had never been the type to take advice, always trusting himself more than he did others. But when Sarah saw him sneaking out of the lair in his hood, she gave herself a pat on the back.

* * *

"How are you feeling?"

But it wasn't Oliver who asked and Sarah felt him stiffen beside her. Visiting hours had started only a half hour before they got there. Sarah insisted on tagging along, wanting to see for herself that Felicity was alright, she wasn't sure what Oliver's excuse was, surely there was a limit as to how often a CEO should bother his employee while she was recuperating in the hospital. If there was such a limit, Sarah was pretty sure it ended at once.

Sarah could see through the door if she craned forward. Felicity was awake, again, it seemed. Oliver wouldn't admit to it, but Sarah and Dig both had a strong feeling that the Starling City Vigilante had paid Felicity a visit last night. Sarah had certainly checked in on her this morning, via the roof top, next door. Oliver seemed much lighter this morning, much happier.

Felicity still looked beat up, bruising around her eyes, her leg in a full cast. Sarah was certain it wasn't a coincidence that the very gang that met her at the subway was the same one plastered under the head line "Thugs Put Away," this morning. But she was mad that she had been left out of the take down.

Felicity's blonde hair was piled on top of her head, new glasses perched on her nose. The hospital gown she wore, swamped her. She was smiling faintly towards Lex Luthor who sat at her bed-side, head tilted towards her.

It was weird Sarah thought. She could clearly see evil in him, but she could see the appeal to. It was almost intimate the way he looked solely at Felicity, like she was the only one in his entire world.

Felicity saw the good in everyone, sure, but she was also smart. Too smart most would think not to have seen the evil in Lex right off the bat. But Sara thought, maybe the badness in him was buried down so deeply or protected so strongly that it was invisible to anyone that hadn't carried that darkness, that evil, inside of themselves too.

Felicity let out a long babble about the drugs and Lex laughed, uninhibited.

"Oliver?" Felicity questioned, nodding towards the door, smartly ignoring Sarah, "I mean… ."

Sarah smiled, walking for and setting down the flowers she was carrying, like it was a delivery, before shrugging out the door. She saw Oliver wink at her before rounding the corner and taking the elevator up. After a short walk she took a vigil in a smoking spot for resident nurses. She could see through the windows were the blinds were open.

They had been closed mere minutes ago. Sarah was sure there being open now, was Oliver's doing. She appreciated the way he knew her almost completely, certainly well enough to know what she was thinking. He took care of her in ways he didn't but should take care of himself.

They shared the same sort of crucible, Sarah thought. It made them relate to each other more than they did before. It had taught them their place in a way.

It was clear that he loved someone else.

From this distance, through the grimy widow, she could see him, leaning over the bed and touching Felicity's arm. Many glares passed between he and Lex before Sarah saw Oliver leave. And Barry enter.

* * *

About a week later, Sarah found Felicity, against advisement, in the foundry, foot resting on one rolling chair while she sat in another. It was an accident waiting to happen.

When Sarah walked down the metal stair case, Felicity was already tapping away at a shiny, new tablet and explaining to Diggle how she was, "-glad the old one had been shattered. Not that they could have gotten through the encryptions, but they could know someone. There are other people out there that are as good as me, and Oh! This is an epic feature. Look at that. Go you Widows Seven. What was I saying-"

Sarah heard Oliver enter minutes before he actually chose to spoke. But he came out of the shadows and interrupted her with, "That no one is as brilliant as computers as you." Felicity blushed as she turned towards him, but he held up a hand before she could interrupt him, "we don't care about the data. We're just happy you're safe."

His words were kind but Felicity's face was already falling. She looked guiltily at her hands, twining them in her lap. Sarah watched as Digg turned away, giving them space like he knew this conversation needed to be had. And it did.

"I didn't know," Felicity said, softly, "Maybe that's worst because-"

Sarah watched as Oliver dropped his hands on her shoulders, rubbed his thumb against her shoulder blade, "You see the best in everyone. You got out when you got suspicious."

Felicity raised a brow, "The list…do you like have it memorized or…do you cross reference all of my-"

Oliver let out a loud laugh, "There wasn't much to do on the island."

Sarah raised a brow. That wasn't entirely true, at least what she knew of it. She didn't know why Oliver was being dodgy about it, only telling Felicity and Diggle bits and pieces. But she did know how easy it was to compartmentalize it, how talking about it to anyone else made her face it, and she figured with Oliver it was the same sort of thing.

Felicity gave him a stare that said she knew he was lying but then nodded it off, "thank you."

Oliver smiled, "of course."

Sarah thought he would insist she go home, but instead, he smiled as he headed to the salmon latter, stripping his shirt off with what Sarah thought was more fervor than normal. If Felicity's gulp was any indication it had been appreciated.

"So," Sarah said, over the clank of the metal on metal of the bar, "gift from Lex?" she inclined her head towards the tablet.

Felicity chuckled, "No. Oliver," a smile grew on her face. Then a wry grin when she explained, "Lex did the hospital bill and so many roses my apartment looks like a florist. It's just better not to argue with him. I loved yours. Flowers, I mean. By the way."

Sarah patted her hand, "Your welcome." home.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey there! Again. Please let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy.(Disclaimer) They aren't mine, I just play with them.

Summary: The one where Felicity has to go on a date with Lex to get the data, Sarah has more relationship knowledge than the rest of them combined.

* * *

"It's the only way," Felicity defended, hands smartly on her hips as she aimed to stare Oliver down, "no one else is getting invited to that party. Not this late notice. Especially not without arousing suspicion." She finished, boosting herself up onto the desk, where she sat kicking her legs as far as her green pencil skirt would allow. Her tall black heels thudded as they fell to the floor. "He'll be so excited that I'm there he'll be blind to most else. Lex is singularly focused in that way." Felicity grumbled as an after note.

Oliver's shoulders became impossibly tighter, to the point that Felicity was afraid his spine may be ripped apart. Even though, she knew that couldn't actually happen, the guy really needed to see a chiropractor. She had never seen him relaxed. His back had to be a hot mess. Emphasis on both the Hot AND the Mess. Though, probably mostly the hot. Definitely the hot.

Diggle was studying her with the kind of amused attention that said he knew she was right but watching her make her case would be beyond entertaining. Sarah's gaze flitterd to Oliver then to Diggle then to Felicity as if she was gauging each persons reaction and deciding a plan of attack but Felicity knew Sarah was on her side. It was the only way.

"She's right, Ollie." Sarah offered, crossing her arms over her chest, "We'll have eyes on her the whole time. All she has to do is get close enough to his phone to activate the sweep on hers. And we'll have the data. No mess. No blood.-"

"No, bang, bang." Felicity confirmed, miming arrows being shot across the room, her arm stretched behind her head, elbow level, "not that arrows go bang – more like swoosh. No swoosh, swoosh."

Oliver barely smiled, choosing instead to grumble and stalk away towards the Salmon later.

"Is that a yes?" Felicity asked.

When she didn't get a response, Sarah laughed, "Yeah. I think that was a begrudging, 'you're right."

Felicity fist pumped. "Yes. Smoak 1."

* * *

"What do you mean you can't wear a wire?!" Oliver growled, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Felicity was un phased, well she admitted begrudgingly, mostly un-phased. Oliver was hot. And the 'I'm all growly but still entirely in control wounded and suppressed anger thing' was ever more hot.

"I mean exactly what I said," Felicity scolded, "He has top of the line security. More top of the line that me security. A wire and a camera aren't going to get past it. I'll turn the speaker in my phone on when I through. You can remotely access it via my tablet – which you must take very, very good care of. Like no arrowing my tablet. I will be beyond-"

"Felicity."

She huffed, "Upsetwithyou" she grumbled quickly, "And Diggle already isolated the perfect perching spots for all of you," she pointed at each of them in turn; Oliver who was right in front of her, Diggle who was a few feet away, and Sarah who was stretching on the mats, "the boat will never be out of sight. You'll be able to see the whole party."

"Great." Oliver said, hotly.

"One wouldn't fit under her dress anyway." Sarah added unhelpfully.

Felicity sent her a smirk.

* * *

"Lets go over the plan, one more time." Oliver stated. His eyes studiously fixed on Felicity's face.

Felicity loved this dress. It was long, black, and sleek, with a high neck and a low back and a flutter of a train on the bottom. It had cut outs at the waist and intricate green beading on the collar. She wore tall green heels to match and a green garter around her thigh which allowed her to carry her keys, emergency pepper spray, and emergency flash drive without the worry that she'd set a purse down somewhere and forget about it.

"Okay," Felicity took a deep breath, fixing a strip of hair back into the complicated coif her hair was wound into, "I go into the party. I get close to Lex, put on the flirty flirt. Wait until the dinner cruise comes to a halt in Addenburgh. Pretend to take a call but really start the data sweep. It picks up and copies all the data off of his phone. I say the call is urgent I have to go. I leave. If that doesn't work I could always claim food poisoning. He knows I'm not a huge fan of boats." She wanted to add especially now as an afterthought but chose not to, "Then I take a cab around the block and actually call Sarah to pick me up."

"I still think it's too risky."

Felicity made a show of rolling her eyes. "more risky than-" Sarah squeezed her shoulder, cutting her off before she got started.

"It's her risk to take. Besides, I've seen her with Lex. He is not going to hurt her. He's incapable of it." Sarah said.

Oliver didn't look more willing. "Linoel, could." Oliver said, "Or a body guard. He's not just going to let her go if he catches her. The danger here is more real than you both want to admit."

Felicity took a deliberate breath and stepped forward pressing her hand against the side of his jaw. "I'll come back. I'll be fine. I promise."

Oliver nodded, his scruff brushing against Felicity's fingers and a heat warmed in her belly at the action. His eyes said he was still unsure, that he still didn't believe her promise. But she could do this. She knew she could. They needed the data, the phone calls, the correspondence, and she was going to get it.

"Well," she forced herself to pull away, "If I don't get going I'll be late. Should I yell break or something?"

Diggle chuckled, Sarah let out a full belly laugh, but Oliver just put his hand over top of hers, where it was raised in mid air, his callouses rough against her knuckles, "Break," he said softly, warmly. Felicity smiled.

* * *

"Felicity Smoak," Felicity said smoothly to the well dressed woman that stood on the yacht's boarding ramp, holding a clip board.

"Can I see some ID," the woman asked, giving Felicity a quick look up and down.

"Oh. Yes, of course," Felicity smiled and set about removing her license from the inside back of her phone case. No sooner had she pushed her finger against the lip of the case to pull it open, did Lex call her name.

His warm voice cooing around the syllables. He gave her a quick wave and started across the yacht to the entrance ramp. His stride was quick, smooth, like everything else about him. He had a genuine smile on his face.

"She's my, plus one." Lex said, his smile even lighting his eyes. He took the final few steps forward before pressing a kiss against her cheek. "I couldn't believe you were coming until you got here." He said, his eyes softening in that earnest way that used to undo her. She felt herself fight against its pull now.

The thing with Lex was that his singular focus was both a blessing and a curse.

In some ways it was sweet, in some ways it was even kind of hot. It was charming to be the singular part of someone's focus.

He was always attentive and he was detail oriented, that was for sure. And it was.

He never forgot her favorite wine. After the first time she'd cooed over it, the cellar at his Smallville mansion had continuously been stocked with it, the wine cooler at his Metropolis loft, always had at least one bottle, countless times a bottle had arrived at her door step via courier. She had mentioned once that the wood floors of his home had made her feet cold, she was constantly forgetting to pack socks, and the next time she came over there was a basket of socks in at least four rooms. He had kept spare, designed, glasses for her at his various homes, kept a pair in each of his cars. He was always listening to what she was saying, picking out details, making sure she had everything she wanted, that she was happy, comfortable. She'd one mentioned how his secretary had made her feel a little uncomfortable. He fired her.

And that was the problem with Lex's singular focus. Sometimes it was too much. It felt like a burden. If you made a miss step he saw it. He had put her on a pedestal and after a while that felt impossible to live up to.

Sure, she had rationalized it. With a past like Lex's its impossible not to rationalize why he did…does…what he does. He'd felt neglected, every woman he'd ever loved had left him or betrayed him…often times both. Etcetera. Etcetera. Etcetera.

"Ritz?"

The nickname pulled Felicity from her musings and she encouraged herself to focus on the task at hand.

"Sorry, long day at the office." She smiled.

Lex let out a laugh. He was moving them, Felicity noticed across the deck of the boat. It was gorgeous, glossy black and white, with dark oak floors. The night sky was pretty too, Felicity thought, blues and pinks, as the sun set. Lex waved down a waiter and leaned close to whisper in his ear. Dollars to donuts, it was for a glass of her favorite wine.

"I can't say, I'm not surprised," Lex said, with a raised eyebrow.

"That I took the job as Mr. Queen's executive assistant."

Lex grinned, a little mischievous, "Just the way you say it tells me that you're surprised you took the job."

Felicity ducked her head and shrugged, "Oliver needed someone he trusted. I knew… Walter well." It wasn't completely a lie.

"So it's Oliver now." Lex said, shifting on his feet.

Lex was always in motion, in the business world, in his personal life. He never had a break. Felicity could tell now, as she had often when they were together, the toll it took on him to stay still.

Felicity forced herself not to snag her lip with her teeth. Lex shook it off, squeezing her shoulder, "I may be a little green." He said with what Felicity considered to be an embarrassed shrug. "I was surprised to see him at the hospital." Lex said a bit begrudgingly.

"Let's just let tonight be ….tonight." Felicity said gently, her hand pressed against his chest. She let her fingers run along the underside of his tie.

Lex smiled down at her. "Deal. Ritz." It was an old joke that made Felicity laugh, loosen up.

A waiter appeared beside them with two glasses of wine. A deep burgundy swirled in the glasses. Felicity licked her lips.

"You didn't." She said as she started reaching for a glass, trying to figure out how to manage holding both her phone and the wine without look ham-fisted.

Lex smiled, "I have pockets," he offered. It almost gave her déjà vu, the way he always carried her things in his pockets when they went to these things so she didn't have to lug a purse around.

Felicity hesitated.

"Put it on vibrate. I promise I'll tell you if someone calls. Wouldn't want to keep Oliver waiting."

Felicity rolled her eyes and swiped across the screen of her phone, making sure the speaker was working in the background and that the sweep would run as soon as it needed to. The one good thing about Lex taking her phone was that would be close enough to his phone to activate the trace.

It wasn't quite according to plan but it was closer to plan than things usually went. If she was being truthful, Felicity would say that she expected the plan to fail. Their plans always seemed to go south but she had enough trust in Oliver and Diggle and Sarah to risk it.

"Thank you," she said and then, "mmm. God this is wonderful."

"Your favorite," Lex supplied even though she already knew.

"I haven't had this is forever," Felicity caught herself saying, "mmm. Yup. This is good. Thank you."

"So," she said in the lull, "what have you been up to."

"You know, business," he said wryly before taking a sharp drink.

She shook her head, laughing lightly, "Same 'ole Lex Luthor. Keeping his cards close to his chest," quietly under her voice she added, "even when me."

She wondered when this mission had also become methods of an odd kind of half closure.

"Its-" he started but Felicity raised a hand.

"You don't have to. I didn't mean-"

"Just let tonight be tonight. Right?" he winked.

"So tell me about this new security protocol you're designing with applied sciences. You really think I didn't hear about that? Felicity Smoak taking the place by storm."

* * *

Oliver called about half an hour later when they pulled into port. It didn't go exactly as planned but it was close enough. It had worked. If Felicity was being honest the fact that it had gone right was a little disconcerting. Felicity accepted another kiss on the cheek from Lex and his soft 'I had a great time,' before moving down the ramp. Lex had offered to call a car, but Felicity pretended to wave one down instead. She took the cab around the block and then got out already ringing Sarah.

Sarah was walking out of the shadows before she even finished the call.

"Did you get it?" She asked.

Felicity thumbed through the data. "Enough. It's not a gold mine but then again we didn't expect that it would be. Or I did. He's smarter than that."

Sarah smiled softly and nodded before leading Felicity out of the alley to a parked car across the street hidden under a grove of overgrown trees. Felicity watched as Sarah checked the surroundings and rushed to the vehicle. Sarah climbed in the back seat, pulled out a spare set of clothes and set about changing.

Felicity sat despondently in the passenger's seat waiting to let Sarah drive. She drove as well as the next person, but she didn't like it necessarily and she was in her thinky place right now. She just wanted to think.

"Oliver's been a mess." Sarah hinted from the back seat.

Felicity shrugged, "Honestly…then he should do something about it."

Sarah stopped mid motion, wig and mask gone, her shirt half pulled over her head.

"You okay? Everything you all were saying was muffled."

Felicity waved her hand around, "No. No it's just…seeing what I had with Lex…did that relationship end for good reasons? Yes. But there were parts of it that were really, really, really, nice. I wouldn't mind having that again. I'm tired of all this back and forth. I don't want to wait and yet I find myself waiting. It's not fair." Felicity said sulkily, rubbing what she thought would be a tension headache.

"And that's understandable," Sarah said, beginning to move again ", the thing with Oliver is…he hides behind all of his bravado and 'reasoning'," she made air quotes, "he lets it control him and squash over his feelings. You just have to...sometimes with Oliver you have to put it out there." When Felicity didn't look convinced she changed tactics, "these missions are difficult. Well I can imagine. I never had to do much of the….much of the…manipulating emotions stuff. I just killed people."

She said it flippantly but Felicity could hear the tremble in her voice.

"Hey," Felicity began, consoling, "the killings over now."

Sarah gulped a little, a rare moment of vulnerability, "Yeah. I'm just saying where you're coming from isn't wrong. And that the mission was probably tough on you."

"There wasn't much manipulating involved." Felicity said.

Sarah raised a brow.

"Fine," I was there under false pretenses, "but he let me get away with it."

"He caught you?" Sarah asked, alarmed.

"No," Felicity shook her head, and then began the task of taking out bobby pins, "Not directly anyway. But he is a very, very smart man. Blind when it comes to me, yes, occasionally but not blind to the fact that he's blind when it comes to me. If that makes sense."

Sarah began her crawl to the front seat, "it does."

"I'm just saying I wouldn't be surprised if he knows more than he's letting on. If he suspected something. We're not going to trap Lex Luthor, Sarah. Maybe the gang that's working for him, but not him."

"Regardless," Sarah stated trying to lighten the mood, "Oliver was a mess."

Felicity almost cracked a smile.

* * *

"You're okay." Oliver said as soon as Felicity walked down the foundry steps. His voice deep and warm. Soft. She couldn't deny that it put a swooping feeling in her stomach.

"I'm okay." Felicity confirmed, smiling faintly at him, before walking to her computers.

She plugged her phone in to the computer tower via a long black chord and set about shifting through the information.

"You don't seem okay." Oliver pushed.

Felicity knew if she turned around she'd see a crinkle between his eyebrows. She didn't turn around. Instead choosing to focus instead on the information.

"Just give her a minute." Sarah said lowly, softly before moving up the metal stairs, presumably to give them some space.

"Felicity." Oliver said again, refusing the advice and pushing instead. He was good at pushing. Seemed good at pushing. God.

"I'm just in my thinky space." She chose, carefully, with a lofty "It was just tough…emotionally."

"Because it was Lex."

"Mhmm." She didn't say it was more about you.

Oliver nodded, rubbing his hands against the front of his cargo pants. He came to sit on the desk beside her and tipped up her chin.

"If you need to talk about it-" Oliver started.

Her smile cut him off. She patted his knee, caught her hand resting their. Sarah's words echoed in her ears. The thing with Oliver is...Sometimes you just have to put it out there.

"Seeing what we had again-" Felicity said.

"You're thinking of going back to him." Oliver frowned. His body tensed. She sensed him getting ready to move. That was Oliver, always moving away from the problem.

Felicity groaned, slamming her face into her palm with a resounding smack. "No. I'm thinking I want that with someone else. And I'm tired of waiting. Because I know if we just sucked it up and took that first step, it would be epic. And I know that you're scared, well not scared but…I just want you to know that I'm-"

And then his mouth was on hers, warm and rough. It was easy at first, soft and then he took her bottom lip between her teeth. She tightened her hand in his hair and smiled against his lips when his hand dropped to her waist. He tried to pull her close even from her computer chair. She licked around his teeth in retaliation, pulled her top lip between her teeth. He growled. She moaned. He pulled back, smiling at the sound.

"Well," she said, "that was a hell of a first step."


End file.
